You can't really assimilate and think about more than a few haiku of this quality a day, if that. They're so compressed with meaning and suggestion, that they stop you in your tracks.
So I looked for a book of his poems, found this on Hoopla
Read a bit and didn't like it much, full of academic argument and debate pushing the work out of the way. More of a comparative study guide than I wanted.
I found a better version, he's written a lot, plenty to choose from. And actually bought it for my Kindle, where it's nestling in my file of Austen, Trollope, Anthony not Joanna, and ready for a few minutes quiet study daily.
I was at an online meeting last evening, despite technical obstacles, arghghg, and it opened with a reading from Richard Rohr. I can not read him in print, just find him incoherent.
But read aloud, suddenly he made sense. Nice discovery. Probably my rapid reading interfered before. And it fits in with the haiku in concept so well. When the student is ready the teacher will appear.
Anyway one great bit from Rohr stays with me: life is not about me, but I am about life. I stayed on that for the whole meditation period that followed, until my tablet cut me off (!) I'll be back next week.
The group is sponsored by the convent where I learned goldwork embroidery and met my first Anglican nuns, still in traditional habit, and had a good time with them. It's through their newsletter that I got the invitation.
So I was glad of the chance to remeet some of the community without driving. I'm neither religious not Anglican, but this seems like a time not to be concerned with divisions, and they were welcoming. The leader is a laywoman, as are a lot of participants.
And now I'm off for a natter with me mates at our Ravelry knitting group.
I'll leave you with a couple of sky views from under my porch between rainstorms. I had planned to go pick violets for my first of the month flowers, but the weather's telling me to wait.
Meanwhile, Happy May Day, and White Rabbits.
Happy May Day to you! It is also my youngest daughter's birthday and therefore, a day I have much to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteI love that you learned goldwork embroidery (!?!) from Anglican nuns. That's just too amazing.
Happy birthday to her! The embroidery collection at the convent is owned by the whole diocese and contains ancient cloth of gold, yes gold woven in, and it's a huge responsibility. That's why, for the security of the sisters as well as the collection, I don't name nor locate the convent. It was a laywoman, a skilled needle woman who does sacred vestment restoration as well as goldwork, who taught our group.
DeleteI must admit to a sad lack of interest in poetry, haiku or otherwise, because mostly the meaning manages to escape me. Obviously another gap in my education over the years. Beautiful skies - sun has returned here today and am hopeful it stays around for awhile.
ReplyDeleteIt might just be you haven't found the right poet. A lot of people find Mary Oliver very approachable. If you might want to check. If not, not.
DeleteHaiku is enjoyable to write, calming and relaxing.
ReplyDeletePoetry of all sorts can be soothing, interesting, sad, scary. And, it can make you smile -
ReplyDeleteAs I was standing in the street,
As quiet as could be,
A great big ugly man came up
And tied his horse to me.
Now there's a great addition!
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